Magnetic Anomaly Stripes On Ocean Floors

They can be stronger positive or weaker negative than the average total read more.

Magnetic anomaly stripes on ocean floors. Marine magnetic anomalies typically represent 1 percent of the total geomagnetic field strength. Mapping of variation over an area is valuable in detecting structures obscured by overlying material. Heirtzler magnetic anomalies in the indian ocean and sea floor spreading journal of geophysical research 10 1029 jb073i006p02101 73 6 2101 2117 2012. Over time the earth s magnetic field reverses its north.

Plate tectonics and reversals of the earth s magnetic field are responsible for the magnetic stripes found on the ocean floor. In geophysics a magnetic anomaly is a local variation in the earth s magnetic field resulting from variations in the chemistry or magnetism of the rocks. A marine magnetic anomaly is a variation in strength of earth s magnetic field caused by magnetism in rocks of the ocean floor. Magnetic stripes and isotopic clocks oceanographic exploration in the 1950s led to a much better understanding of the ocean floor.

The magnetic variation in successive bands of ocean floor parallel with mid ocean ridges is important evidence supporting the theory of. When magma flows out of a mid ocean ridge small magnetic minerals in the magma align themselves to point in the direction of the earth s current magnetic north. Among the new findings was the discovery of zebra stripe like magnetic patterns for the rocks of the ocean floor. These patterns were unlike any seen for continental rocks.

Xavier le pichon james r.